Perchance, to Dream
by stopwatch-plz
Summary: When Sam and Dean find a gig in Denver, Sam picks up more than he planned. Soon it's a race against time and the boys have to call in help from an old friend before it's too late. Can they save Sam from something that wants him dead - or worse?


Title:

Title: Perchance to Dream…

Chapter: 1/?  
Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to SPN. However, I do own many of the wrongs :D

Warnings: None, unless you count the actually-relevant-to-the-plot Het scenes. I know, I know – non-gratuitous sex. What's going on! ;)

Summary: After having nothing to hunt for a while, the boys get news of a spate of possessions in Denver. When they get there, they find that there's no reason for the events, but Sam discovers something that he doesn't tell Dean about. However, it soon gets to the point where he can't keep it a secret any longer, and the boys are on a race against time to save Sam from something that wants him dead.

Authors Note: I've quite deliberately tried to avoid placing this at any specific time on the SPN timeline, though in my head it's around late-season 2. However, I'm hoping that I've made it sufficiently vague that it can be a stand-alone. I do reference a few places but have avoided referencing episodes (iyswim).

…

Without a lead on a decent job Sam had given in to Dean's pleading - for way of a change - and they'd pulled up into Las Vegas a coupla days previously. Sam was wondering if it'd been a good idea after all as so far the time had been spent with Dean trying to pull tricks at the tables and Sam constantly pulling him away from the tables.

"Dude, what the fuck is your problem? You got something against us finally having some real money, or what?" Dean hissed, as Sam pulled him away from the craps table.

"Dean, you know they have people watching out for cheaters here! You'll gain nothing except being thrown out, and then you'll get all pissed and try to stand up to him, and I'll spend my evening stitching you up and listening to you whine like a little girl about it."

His brother looked up at him and looked like he was going to say something. At the last minute he changed his mind.

"Whatever."

"Whatever? That's your comeback? iWhatever/i? Jesus, Dean, you're such a kid sometimes…" Sam shook his head in disbelief as he signalled to a passing waitress.

"Hey sweetie, what'll it be?" she said with a wink

Dean suddenly lost interest in the tables.

"Hey," he squinted at the name tag, "Darla! Pleased to meet you! I'm Dean, this is my brother Sam, and we're after a good time" he grinned.

The waitress looked Dean up and down, and Sam knew what was coming before it got there.

"Uh, don't mind him, he's only having a laugh, aren't you, Dean?" he nudged his brother a little harder than necessary, and Dean rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, sorry Darla, I didn't mean to tread on your feminine sensibilities..." Dean didn't get to finish his sentence before Sam grabbed his older brother by the arm and practically dragged his out the casino.

As they got outside, Sam rounded on Dean and shoved him against the wall "Dean, what the ihell/i were you doing in there? You can't be so desperate to shove your dick into something that bad, can you?"

Dean blinked, momentarily shocked by his brother's outburst. "Wha…?"

Sam groaned. "Don't tell me you're blind as well as stupid?! All the security cameras in there? They're not for the player's safety, they're for the workers. And if they'd thought you were hitting on one of them…"

Dean sighed. "So, according to you I can't go at the tables, I can't go at the waitresses… anything I ican/i go at?"

"Yeah, you can go at sleeping! Come on, Dean, let's get back to the motel and chill, 'k?" Sam said, and started to steer his brother in the direction of where they'd parked up.

"Damn, brothers are no fun… can I trade you in for waitress?"

Sam out his head down and smiled. As much as Dean pissed him off, he did have his heart in the right place.

Normally.

…

They got back to the Pleasant Stay motel – which Dean thought he could sue for false advertising – and Sam sighed.

"Ok, there's gotta be something out there, got to be something going on…" he said, almost in desperation as he fired up his laptop. He was beginning to feel as jumpy as Dean, and although his frustrations didn't surface in terms of bar fights and bitching, he felt just as eager as his brother to get on the road.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze on him.

"Dean, back off looking over my shoulder!" he warned as he looked up.

"Awwh, man, this is crap. What the hell's going on here? We so should've come up here when you had your thing going on…" he grumbled his way to the bed. "I'm gonna take a shower, something to do. Back in a bit" and he wandered off to the bathroom.

Sighing with relief as he heard the door click, he turned back to the computer and started the search.

By the time Dean was out of the shower, he'd hit on something.

"Dean, look here" Sam said, as he turned the laptop round so Dean could see. "Reports from Denver of strange deaths… This guy – a storekeeper – shot his wife and kids, and then turned on himself. And a policeman killed his elderly Grandmother and then took a swan-dive off the Millennium Bridge…" Sam trailed off and looked at Dean hopefully.

The elder Winchester sighed as he towelled his hair dry. He never could refuse Sammy anything.

"Come on then. Let's hit the sack then get outta here in the morning."

…

Denver was, well, Denver, and the Happy Holiday motel was cheap and clean, with a lock on the door. Satisfied everything was ok; Dean sat on the bed and looked up at Sam.

"Ok, now what?" he cocked his head sideways and looked at Sam, who shifted uncomfortably in his gaze.

"Stop looking at me like that," he said, quietly.

"Like what?" Dean asked, eyes wide and arms spread.

"Just, like… whatever."

Dean raised an eyebrow and bit back a response to that. "Ok, Sam, sorry. C'mon, where do we go next?"

Sam sighed and looked back at the screen "Well, latest incident was when a worker went crazy near the industrial park near Edgewater… seems as good a place as any to go looking" and Sam slammed the laptop shut and grabbed his coat from the back of the chair.

With a nod, Dean followed, picking up the duffel. "Ok, Sammy, remember – there are weird things going on with weird people round here, 'k? Be careful." Sam looked back at him and was about to say something, then stopped. Instead, he nodded.

"Let's go."

…

Unlocking the door to their motel room Sam turned to Dean, right eye swollen almost-shut after receiving a heavy blow from a possessed insurance clerk, and sighed.

"Dean, what the hell is going on around here?" he said, shaking his head then wincing from the pain that shot through his head.

"Hey, Sam, hold still!" Dean said, as he walked over to look at the gash that was still bleeding profusely from under Sam's eye, wiping at it with a cloth

"Aarrghh!" Sam shouted, lashing out and catching Dean in the ribs.

"Ow! What is wrong with you? Wuss…" Dean grumbled as he carried on cleaning Sam's wound. Sam just glared at his brother in return.

Dean finished up cleaning Sam's cut and sighed. "Right, bedtime for us!" He walked to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Sam picked up the canister of salt and set to work on the doors and windows, and by the time Dean came out the room it was all set.

"Hope you left some hot water, girl" he joked, and Dean responded by flicking a wet towel at him. "Ow!" Sam exclaimed as it hit him on the arm.

"That's for disrespectin' your elders!" Dean said, half-smiling as his brother stuck his tongue out as he walked past. "If the wind changes you'll stay like that!" Dean called through the bathroom door as it shut in his face.

Dean smiled to himself and shook his head as he made his way to his bed - nearest the door, as usual - and climbed into the heavy cotton sheets. With a sigh, he sank into the mattress and was already asleep by the time Sam came out of the bathroom.

Sam opened the door carefully, and peered out to see if Dean was asleep yet. Soft snoring sounds coming from the other side of the room said that he was, and Sam smiled. He padded across the floor, checking the salt and climbed into bed himself, pulling the sheets around him as he settled down for the night.

...

iSam woke up.

At least, he thought he did, though he couldn't see anything. Then, suddenly, images started becoming clearer. With a start, he recognised his old nursery, in the old house, back before… before everything.

He heard a sound and turned around. A woman was standing opposite him – beautiful and smiling, smiling at him. He moved closer to her and as he did so, he realised that the woman consisted of everyone he'd ever loved – Mom, Dad, Dean, Jess. As he tried to process these thoughts, the figure in front of him changed from a beautiful woman to a misshapen, old hag, and before he had time to react, she launched herself at him.

"No escape, Sam Winchester!"/i

…

He woke with a start, the echoes of his own cry still ringing in his ears. Beside him, Dean had already jumped out of bed and had a knife in hand, and was looking around wildly.

"What? What's up? Sammy?" Dean almost shouted.

"Hey, Dean, calm down," Sam said, willing his breathing to get back to normal as he swung his legs over the side of the bed shakily. "It was… it was just a dream"

Dean looked at him as though he's just said he wanted his first-born. "Oh, no… not those things again!" he shook his head in disbelief as he sat back down on his bed

Sam shook his head "No Dean, it's not "those things" again", knowing he was referring to his past visions. "It's just a regular nightmare, 'k? Now, let's get back to sleep – god knows what time it is, but it's still dark out and I'm not doing tomorrow with you on sleep dep!"

Dean gave Sam The Eyebrow and then slid back under his covers. "Whatever you say, Sammy…" and with one last glance he rolled over and went back to sleep in one breath.

Sam shook his head, amazed as always at Dean's ability to sleep anywhere, anyhow. A talent he sorely wished he had himself, he sighed, as he lay back down on the hard mattress, determined not to fall asleep again.

No matter what he'd said to Dean, it hadn't been just a dream.

…

Dean woke to the sun hitting him straight across his eyes. Damn. Rolling sideways he read the time as 8am, and his brother's bed as empty. With a sigh, he swung his legs off the bed and got up, stretching and nearly falling over in the process.

"You want some of this?" Dean jumped at the voice.

"Sammy, don't scare me like that!" he said, as he tried to regain his composure. "Scaring me before I've had my coffee is not a wise idea"

"So, once you've had this lot I can scare you again?" Sam indicated the pile of food and coffee on the table next to him where he was sitting at his laptop.

"Ooh, now that's what I talkin' about!" Dean walked over to the table, swiped a cup and an egg muffin and sat down on one of the comfy chairs in the room.

"Mornin' baby!"

Sam looked sideways at Dean. "So, the first thing you do when you wake up is shout at me, yet you say good morning to your breakfast? I could get a complex here" he gave a small smile.

Dean just made happy noises from the corner.

"So, I've declared today Research Day so I'm gonna go to the town library, see if there's any history of anything here… I would invite you along, but I think I know what you'd say…"

"That I'd rather watch paint dry? Yup, Sammy – you know me too well. Anyways, I've decided to go scout out the homes of the last two incidents, see if there's anything 'round there of interest." Dean stood up. "But first, I'm gonna hit the shower."

"Ok. I'm gonna start early and go to the library now. Give me a call if you find anything."

Dean shook his finger at him "Sammy, I'm surprised, you having your phone on in a library? Naughty!"

Sam threw a plastic fork at him. "Whatever."

…

Sam sighed as he clutched his third coffee of the day.

"What?" Dean said, eyeing up his younger brother. "What's up?"

Sam glanced up guiltily. "Huh? Nothing's wrong" he lied.

"Dude, you do know that when you lie your left eyebrow does this little jumpy-thing?" Dean grinned smugly.

"Does not."

"Does too"

"Does not!"

"Does too! iAnyways/i…" Dean looked at him expectantly.

Sam sighed. "Look, I just didn't get a great sleep last night, ok? There's no big conspiracy"

"Aha! Knew it… holding out on my Sammy, it's not healthy…" Dean's tone was light but Sam could see in his eyes he was worried. This was exactly what he'd wanted to avoid.

"Look, Dean, it's nothing. Really. We've just been busy lately and I've not had the time to refuel. Anyway, enough of me – what did you find today?"

Dean pulled a face. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing, nada, zip, zero. No connections with the victims – lifestyle, career, social life, address, family, history… nothing. What about you?"

Sam looked awkward. "Umm… I was kinda hoping on you to get us a lead. Nothing in the history books or newspapers, not even any local legends save for the usual "haunted house" type ones."

"Damn." Dean swore.

"So what now?" Sam asked, looking around the diner as if for inspiration. Dean just smiled.

"Now, we have a night off!"

…

The bar was loud, dark and just the way they liked it. Dean had located the pool tables and, with a whiskey in hand, had proceeded to lay waste the most of the players in the bar without breaking a sweat.

"Well, that was far too easy," Dean boasted, as he walked over to the corner where Sam was sitting, pulling up a stool to sit on. When Sam didn't respond, he clicked his fingers "Yo, anyone in there?"

Sam jumped, and almost fell off his stool letting out a rather undignified noise. Dean looked at him curiously.

"Are you drunk, Sammy?"

"What if I 'm?" Sam said, slurring slightly.

"Well, y'know, nothing, just… well, you don't usually get drunk Sammy, and I'm your big brother. Looking out for you." His words were light but his tone wasn't. Sam was always the one to forego another round; to suggest an early night – he didn't usually prop himself up in a corner and drink himself into oblivion.

Sam said nothing and continued to stare into his glass. He knew Dean was trying to help, but Sam wasn't exactly sure what the problem was in the first place to be able to tell Dean about it. And definitely didn't want to tell Dean he was getting drunk in the hope that it would keep off the weird dreams from last night.

"'m just tired" Sam said, trying to get his eyes to focus. He'd never been a heavy drinker, and this whisky was a killer. God, he'd have hell to pay tomorrow.

"Come on, lightweight. Let's get you back to the motel where you can sleep it off" Dean started.

A look of panic flashed in Sam's eyes before he regained his composure "Sure, ok" he said as Dean put an arm around him to help him off the seat.

"Dude, it's so unfair that I'm big brother yet you tower over me. So unfair" he grumbled as he steadied the rather inebriated Sam who had already almost fallen over his own feet. "Let's get you back."

By the time they got back to the room, Sam had sobered up a bit.

"Damn boy, you're heavy" Dean complained as he rounded his shoulders. "C'mon, get!" He inclined his head as he opened the door to let Sam shuffle through.

Dean followed suit and pulled a bottle of water from his duffel, giving it to Sam along with a blister pack of pills. "Water, 2 aspirin, sleep. Just what the doctor ordered!"

"Dude, if you were my doctor I'd want a refund" Sam said, half-smiling. Dean looked mock-offended as he walked to his bed.

"Whatever. Now, sleep!"

"Yessir!" Sam did a mock salute which made Dean shake his head. Sam went into the small bathroom in their room and Dean stripped and slid in-between the sheets. Lying on his side he sighed. There was something not right with Sammy, and he was going to find out what if it was the last thing he did, he decided.

By the time Sam got out the bathroom, Dean was sound asleep. Sam smiled as he looked at his brother, and felt a small panic as he thought about going to sleep himself. It was coming up 24 hours since he'd been awake and he could feel the effect it was having on him.

With a sigh, Sam gave in and crawled into his bed, pulling the covers around him. As he lay in the almost-dark room, he tried to not think about sleeping, but nature took it's course and soon he was out.

…

iSam blinked, and his first thought was "Not again!"

His second thought was "Where am I?"

As if his thought had triggered something, his location came into sharp relief. Sam realised he was in Bobby's cabin – or, at least, a dream-replica of it. He listened carefully and couldn't hear a thing – no birds, no insects, nothing. Carefully he crept up the steps to the porch and tried the door handle. It opened with a small creak and Sam slipped inside, closing the door softly behind him.

In the back of his mind Sam thought it was really unfair that his subconscious made him hunt even when he was asleep, but something deep down said to him that this wasn't any ordinary dream. Padding his way around the cabin, he checked all the rooms, coming up to the kitchen last.

As he swung round into the room he gave a start. The woman - ithing/i - from last night was standing at the table looking out of the window.

"Hey!" Sam gave a shout, then realised it was a bit of a redundant move. For one, he had no weapon to use against her; for another, he was in his own dream, for god's sake. What the hell was he gonna do to her? He shook his head just as she turned round.

"Ah, Sam. You came back" she said, with a smile. God, she was so beautiful, sunlight shining off her golden hair. She stepped towards him and he instinctively went to move away, but stopped mid-step.

"Don't go, Sam, we've only just met" she smiled, and Sam felt himself be drawn to her, a magnetic charm that he couldn't – and, he was surprised to find, didn't want to – fight. "That's it, come to me, Sam. I know you've been alone for so long now, so long…" her voice soothed him, calmed him, and he felt himself stepping up to her. She pulled him close to her, wrapped him in her arms and whispered soothing words in his ear as she lent forwards and pressed her lips to his.

He sighed and all thoughts of anything else started melting away like spring snow. He felt himself slipping, sliding into the cool, dark nothingness, and suddenly his subconscious flared up.

"NO!" he shouted, and pushed himself away from her, running to the other side of the room. He crouched there, breathing heavily, watching her.

She just smiled and put a finger to her lips.

"No escape, Sam Winchester."

…

Sam woke with a cry and went to sit up. Suddenly there was a weight on his bed and he lashed out, instinctively.

"Hey, whoa there, hold on," Dean said, catching Sam's wrists and holding them down. "It's only me, Sam, it's just me…" Dean's voice calmed him down to the point where he could focus and was relieved to find he was back in the motel room.

"Christ…" Sam let out, softly, as he tried to get his breathing back to normal, head falling back onto the pillow as he looked up at the ceiling and studiously tried and failed to ignore Dean looking at him. "I can feel you looking at me, Dean. It's making me kinda nervous."

"It's making you nervous, Sammy? Y'know what's making ime/i nervous? You. And whatever's going on inside that head of yours!" he sounded angry, and Sam sighed inwardly. This was what he had been trying to ignore. Realising he couldn't put it off any longer, he inhaled sharply and sat up, moving so that he was against the headboard and sitting next to Dean.

"Ok, ok… so I've been having these weird dreams, and I'm not sure why. Don't know what they are, even if they're anything at all, but they're kinda freaky. And there's always this woman in it, and she's… after me." Sam trailed off as he realised he probably sounded a bit mad.

Dean just sat there looking thoughtful. "Hmm, a woman…" Suddenly, Dean grinned "Hey, maybe she's telling you you need to get laid more often!"

Sam just groaned and tilted his head back against the wall. "Dean…"

Dean just looked at him with wide, grinning eyes and Sam couldn't help but laugh. "You are incorrigible, you know that?"

"Part of the charm, Sammy, part of the charm. Now, let's get to work!" Dean pushed himself off the bed then turned to look at Sam. "Hey, you take your time getting up – I'll go get breakfast."

Sam blinked in shock "Dude, you feeling ok?" he said, with a small smile.

"Don't push your luck," Dean growled as he made for the door "otherwise you'll be getting coffee with no sugar in!"

"Fate worse than death," Sam smiled to himself as the motel door closed behind Dean.

With a sigh, he got out the bed, grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom. Everything would seem better after a shower.

He hoped.

…

"Y'know, we really need to get this dream thing sorted, Sammy."

Sam looked up through heavy eyelids and tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. "Why y'say that?" he asked.

"Because, apart from the fact that you look like ishit/i, you just put salt in your coffee"

Sam looked down to where his hand was midway through pouring the white crystals into his coffee and, with a sigh, put the container down shakily on the table.

"Might be an idea to find out what the hell is going on here. And seeing as we've not had any more reports of these demons since we got here, hell… at least we can do something useful with our time!"

Sam nodded wearily and stood up – or at least tried to. His legs gave way from under him and with a cry he crumpled to the floor. In a second, Dean was at his side.

"Sam? Sammy? You ok?" Dean knelt beside him and lifted the back of his head up in his hands. Sam's eyes fluttered then finally opened.

"Dean? What happened?" Sam asked, a note of panic rising in his voice as he tried to get up.

"Dude, it's ok… here" and Dean put an arm around his brother to lift him from the diner floor. "C'mon, let's get you outta here before someone thinks you're crazy or something" Dean tried a smile that came out more of a grimace. "We'll get you back; sort you out, 'k?"

Sam just nodded weakly as he lent on his brother for support, eyes focussed on putting one foot in front of the other.

Eyes so focussed that they missed the flash of panic in Dean's eyes.

..

Dean somehow managed to get both of them back to the motel safely. He half-carried, half dragged his brother up onto his bed.

"Right, you can chill here, don't fall asleep," and he leant over to the radio by the bed. A second later, music came blaring out the speakers.

Sam visibly winced. "Dean, don't you think it's a little early for Sabbath?"

Dean stopped in his tracks and turned round, very slowly, and stared at his brother.

"Dude, did you just say what I think you said? Are you sure you're my brother? I can't believe we even irelated/i after that remark!" and he turned back round and walked across the room to where Sam had left his laptop.

Sam gave a half-smile and settled back against the bed. He desperately needed to sleep, needed it more than anything he'd ever needed before, but that wasn't likely with Ozzy blaring in his ear. He'd never been so pleased about his brother's taste in music before.

"Ok, Sammy, you gotta help me here…" Dean said, as he fumbled with getting the laptop open. "Damn" he swore under his breath as he finally popped open the top.

"Right, you gotta tell me everything, Sam" Dean turned round to look his brother in the eyes. "And I mean ieverything/i - ok?"

Sam swallowed and nodded in mute response as Dean looked back at the screen, determination on his face.

An hour later, Dean got a hit.

i"Shit!"/i Dean swore, as he stood up and started pacing around the room, running his hand through his hair. "This is so not good, Sammy…" Dean trailed off as he looked towards the bed.

Where Sam was fast asleep.

…

iSam found himself back at the house he and Jess had shared, in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

He moved away from the wall where he was standing, and walked through the house, his feet treading a path that had been on auto-pilot. He made his way through the hallway to the living room, ducking slightly from the doorframe instinctively. Sam stopped mid-step when he saw the figure at the window.

"Hey Sammy." Jess said, smiling. She was wearing his favourite dress, white-and-yellow that had reminded him of the daisy chains they used to make when sitting in the park together after class.

"No… no, this isn't real…" Sam shook his head slowly and backed up, getting himself cornered.

"Oh, baby, what's the matter? Don't you miss me? I'll be upset if you say you don't!" Jess smiled and wound her way around the table in the middle of the room and across the floor. "I've waited so long for this honey, been so lonely without you." She walked up to him and raised a hand, letting it rest ioh-so-gently/i on Sam's face, as she cupped his chin in her palm.

Sam closed his eyes, willing for it to stop, willing for the torture to end, but it stayed.

"Oh, Sammy, don't be so mean. I'm sure you'd like to stay and play a while" and with that, she rose up on her toes and placed a hand behind his head, pulling him close to her.

The last resolve he had crumbled at that, and he felt himself returning the embrace. Jess snaked an arm around his body, spun him around and pushed him onto the couch.

"Been so lonely with you gone," she said, soft and gentle, drawing him in.

"Jess…" Sam spoke, just a whisper.

I'm here honey, I'm here, won't let you go again…" she promised, as her fingers swiftly went to work on Sam's clothes, discarding his shirt like leaves on the breeze. Her hands ghosted over his chest, fingernails dragged across his nipples bringing a groan from Sam's lips. Quickly, Jess snapped open his jeans and pulled them off with no resistance. By now, Sam was breathing hard, his body stolen and his mind taken over. Jess pulled up her dress and straddled him, reaching down and taking his full length in her hand. Sam's eyes rolled back into his head as she went to guide herself onto him.

"No escape, Sam Winchester…"

…

"NO!"

Sam woke to Dean slapping him round the face. "Dean! Dean… oh my god, Dean… Jess…" Sam cried as he came round.

"Hey, Sam, it's ok, right? It's ok…" Dean leant down and wrapped his arms around his little brother and pulled him close. "It's ok Sammy, I know what we've got here, I know what's going on…" He purposefully says nothing about how they're going to defeat the fucking thing, because that's still an unknown, but at least they know what it is now.

Sam pulled back from his brother and looked at him, eyes round and scared and Dean could've died for that look. "Dean… what's going on?"

Dean shifted slightly so they were sitting side-by-side, and he cleared his throat.

"Umm, well, I've been doing a bit of a look-see and well, I think… I think you've gotten yourself a succubus, Sammy." There it was out now.

Sam just looked at his as if he were mad; eyebrows raised in that "What are you on about?" look.

"No, Sam, I'm serious! See, I did a bit of research and, well, yeah…" Dean narrowed his eyes. "Did that thing try to, y'know…" he trailed off, uncomfortable.

Sam gave a small smile "Haven't seen you lost for words for a while, Dean. But yeah, she did. And I would've let her without you pulling me back. Thanks."

There was a moment of silence, a moment with words unsaid before Dean cleared his throat.

"Well, now we know what it is, we need to work out how to kill it. And who we can ask about it…"

Sam looked up expectantly, and the hope in his eyes almost made him look away. "Where, Dean?"

"Sammy – we're goin' home!"

…

The drive of 500+ miles to Lawrence seemed to take forever. Dean cranked up the stereo and sang along – badly – to whatever came on. Sam spent most of the journey wondering what would be worse – being fucked to death by a succubus or enduring another hour in the car with Dean's god-awful singing. He loved his brother madly but he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

"So, you think Missouri can help us?" Sam tried to shout over the music, failing badly.

Dean leant towards the tapedeck and turned the volume down. "What d'you say, Sam?"

"I said, do you think Missouri can help us?" Sam couldn't help but keep out a note of hope in his voice that Dean hated to hear. He didn't want to lead his brother on, but they had to try anything they could think of.

"I called her before we left and she seemed kinda interested. I'm sure she'll do whatever she can, Sammy!"

Sam just turned to look out the window, watching the kerbside slide by, and Dean didn't hear him when he said, softly, "I hope it's good enough."

Half an hour later they rolled into Lawrence, afternoon sun continuing its slow descent in the sky casting a muted glow on the surrounding buildings.

"Here we are," Dean said, glancing over at Sam. He was shocked to see just how bad his brother looked, face pinched and drawn, all colour drained save for the dark circles under his eyes. Making a decision, he suddenly swung the car round and drove in the opposite direction.

"Dean?" Sam said, weakly, lifting his head from where it had been resting against the door.

"We're going straight to Missouri now. Motel can wait. You can't." and Dean put his foot down on the accelerator and drove towards her house.

…

"I've been waiting for your boys to come back, y'know? Been a long time comin'!" Missouri chastised them as she led them into her sitting room.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry we've been away so long," Dean apologised as he lead his brother to a nearby couch and sat down next to him. Sam looked up and smiled weakly at the woman in front of them.

"I hear you got yourself a problem, Samuel Winchester" the psychic said as she lowered herself into a chair, and looked at them.

"Looks that way…" Sam trailed off, the effort of speaking too much for him and he lent back against the soft couch. Dean subconsciously moved closer to him.

"Ok then, boys, I'll see what I can do. But you gotta tell me everything, 'k? Can't help you if you're not honest with me!" and she sat back in her chair and steepled her fingers.

Dean nodded and cleared his throat. With a last look at Sam, who by now was barely conscious, he started to tell Missouri everything, with occasional interruptions from Sam.

By the time they'd finished, Missouri looked grave.

"Well, I have to say, you boys have surely got yourself in a situation!" she shook her head. "Sounds like young Sam has attracted this Succubus from somewhere and I'm not sure there's any sure-fire way of getting rid of it, I'm afraid. But there are a few things we can try out, but I'll need a few hours. You boys go to your motel and freshen up – I'll let you know when I'm done." She watched with concern as Dean looped an arm around Sam and helped him up, putting himself behind his brother as he walked out, in case he fell.

As he passed by Missouri, she snaked a hand out to touch him.

"Take care of him, Dean" she said, softly.

Dean just nodded in mute response.

…

They found a motel just a couple of blocks from Missouri's apartment, and Dean thanked whatever Gods were looking on them for finding somewhere so close. The place was basic but clean, and the girl on the desk had been pretty and cheerful. For a second he'd managed to forget why they were there and spent a couple of minutes flirting with her. Then Sam shuffled in and everything else was forgotten. Dean went up to him and put his arm around Sam's shoulders and helped him along. The woman behind the bar looked at them like she thought Sam had some kind of illness, and Dean was in no mood to explain. He picked up the keys and steered them both in the direction of their room.

Dean practically dragged Sam through the door and let him down gently on the bed. Sam's eyes focussed on Dean and the older brother was caught in their stare, just for a second, thought it felt like forever.

"Thanks, Dean" Sam said, softly.

Dean looked at him. "Thanks for what?" he asked, confused.

"For this, for helping me…" Sam trailed off and Dean looked almost angry.

"Why the ifuck/i do you feel like you have to ithank me/i for this? For taking care of my own goddamn brother? What the hell do you think I am?" Dean stopped mid-flow and sighed, running his hand through his hair. He sat down next to Sam gently and turned to him. "Dude…" he trailed off. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Right, we gotta get you fed, keep your strength up. I'll go out and…" Dean was interrupted by his cell ringing.

"Yup… Oh, hi…. Really? Great…. Ok, be there in ten" Dean flipped the phone shut and turned to Sam. "Dude, I hate to do this to you, but we gotta get out again. That was Missouri – she reckons she's found something."

…

"Ok, boys – I think I've found you a plan. I'm not saying it'll work 100 but it's worth a go, if you're up for it." Missouri looked at the boys sitting opposite her as she took a sip of tea.

"Ma'am, no offence, but I think I'm willing to try near enough anything" Dean replied.

Sam just nodded gently and lent into Dean beside him for support. He could barely keep his eyes open by now, and although he hadn't admitted it to Dean, he was on the verge of passing out. And part of him just wanted to accept the inevitability of it all and give in to it. If this didn't work, Sam wasn't sure if he had the strength to fight it anymore. But he wasn't going to tell Dean that. With a huge effort, he opened his eyes wider and sat up.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the idea of Dream walking?" The boys nodded in unison.

"The idea of going into another person's dream isn't new. Most people enter another's dreams by using special herbs and plants but I wouldn't trust putting anything in Sam's body that he's not used to and we don't know how it might affect the Succubus. So, I've got these…" Missouri pulled out two long cords from her pocket, each with a single amulet on. "These are connected dream-amulets" she put them both together and the boys saw that they fitted together perfectly to make a larger object. "The person who wants their dreams entered wears the first amulet, the person who wants to go Walking wears the second. There is a small ritual that goes alongside it too, but I'm sure you boys can handle it" Missouri gave a smile.

"Now, I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but Walking can be dangerous. Things may not be as they seem in there. But, also, what goes on in the dream can be manipulated. Which means that, technically, you can get on in there and exorcise that bitch outta Sam's head."

Missouri sat back and looked at the two boys opposite. Her heart felt like it was breaking seeing John's boys in such pain, but she'd done all she could. It was now up to them.

Dean looked at Sam then up at Missouri.

"Let's get to it."

…

They got back to the motel just as the sun was disappearing over the horizon. Dean helped Sam through the door then gently rested him on the bed, helping him lie down.

"Dude, I can't go to sleep in my boots!" Sam complained, with a small smile.

"What did your last servant die of?" Dean grumbled as he untied Sam's laces and slid his boots off, letting them drop to the floor with a thud. Sam let out a soft laugh.

"Ok, you stay there, I've gotta go get some stuff for this ritual… shouldn't take long." Dean looked at his brother and was shocked again at how ill he looked. His voice dropped "Man, you gonna be ok if I leave?"

"Dean, I'm not an invalid! I'm sure I can manage a while alone… though if you come back without Coke and a bag of Reese's Pieces I may never speak to you again." Sam said with a smile, and he rested his head back on the pillow.

"Dude, all that sugar'll rot your teeth…" but Dean smiled and made for the door. "I'll be back in under an hour. Don't do anything without me!" and he closed the door behind him with a click.

Sam lay on the bed in the fading daylight, the evening rays falling on his face through a gap in the curtains, and he sighed. This was it – all or nothing.

He just prayed that Missouri was right.

…

"Hi honey, I'm home!" Dean said as he walked through the door. Sam looked up from where he was sitting on the bed, back against the wall, and smiled.

"You get supplies?" Sam asked.

"Coke, Pringles, Reeses's Pieces AND Cups – never have too much of that stuff – Oreos iand/i" Dean pulled out a box from the bag he was carrying, "Doritos." He gave Sam a grin.

"Umm, Dean, that's great, but I kinda meant supplies for the ritual…" Sam trailed off, raising an eyebrow with amusement.

"No Sammy, I totally forgot about that – I hit the snack aisle and my mind went blank" he gave Sam a Look. "I'm not totally dumb, y'know?"

Sam shifted along the bed and looked up "I know Dean, sorry… My humour levels are a bit low at the moment."

"Hey, no problems, Sasquatch" Dean sat down on the edge of the bed next to Sam, making to push him over. "Dude, you're like some kinda spider with all that leg"

"You're just jealous I got all the growing genes" Sam said, smugly.

"Yeah, well I got the good looks, so think I'm ok" Dean said back, and Sam laughed.

Dean rose from the bed and moved to the table in the corner of the room. Unpacking items from the bag, Sam swung his legs over the side of the bed and waited til the dizziness passed. Then he pushed himself off the bed and made his way over to Dean.

"Hey!" Dean said as he saw his brother coming over. "Get back on that bed!"

"No," Sam said, making his way to a nearby chair and setting down on it, carefully.

Dean shook his head. "Man, you are so stubborn… Dad would be proud." He turned back round to sorting out the objects on the table and pretended he didn't see Sam sticking his tongue out at him. Not for the first time, Dean hoped to God that this plan worked. He didn't want to admit it, but it seemed that this was their only chance. If this didn't work…

"Ok, I've got this sorted… You get on the bed Sammy, I'll kick this off and come join you" Dean went to turn the lights off then stopped. "Damn, almost forgot" and he pulled the two amulets from his pocket. "This one's for you" and he leant forwards and placed the cord around Sam's neck, the charm resting against his chest. Dean looked up at his brother "You ready for this?"

Sam just nodded.

"Ok then – get!" and he shooed Sam towards the bed as he put his own on.

With a last look, Sam nodded and made his way to the bed, slowly. As he settled himself down on the hard mattress he watched his brother through heavy eyelids. The lights went out, the candles were lit, and Sam drifted off to the sounds of Dean's Latin chanting:

i"Domine, defende nos in proelio; contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium…/i

As Dean finished the ritual he glanced over to where Sam was asleep. With a final glance at the objects on the table, he stood up.

"Damn it, this better work" he muttered softly as he walked over to Sam and lay down on the bed next to him, a protective arm across his body, and Dean drifted off to sleep.

…

The first thing Dean was aware of was that it was icold/i. Pulling his jacket around him, he looked around.

"Sammy, where are you…?" he muttered aloud, glancing around. Slowly, his surroundings started becoming clearer, and he realised that he was standing in the bar of the old Roadhouse.

"Well, at least I know where I am… kinda…" and he made his way across the floor, past the pool table and into the back of the building, calling Sam's name as he went.

…

Sam opened his eyes and found himself on a couch. After a few minutes he recognised where he was – in the backroom of the Roadhouse. He struggled to pull himself upright, and when he was on his feet he looked.

"Dean? DEAN!" he shouted, as he made his way to the door that would lead him out to the main bar. As he walked, he felt something behind him, and he turned around.

"Sammy. You came back"

Sam stared at Jess-that-wasn't. "Go away!" Sam shouted, as he backed up to the couch again.

"Oh, Sammy, don't say that! Don't push us apart again! You know I've been lonely for so long, been wanting you for so long…" she walked up to him and reached out, taking his face in her hands. "Stay with me, Sam, stay with me" and she reached up and pulled his face down to hers, placing their lips together.

Sam tried to break free, tried to get away, but he was too weak. With a soft cry he fell backwards onto the couch, and Jess sat down, straddling him.

"You know, we can stay here forever, Sam. Stay and be happy… you want to be happy, don't you?" she asked, softly.

Sam just groaned in response.

"We can stay here and it'll all be ok, baby, it'll all be fine…" and she kissed him again, one hand behind his head, other hand slowly dragging down his chest, undoing his shirt buttons as they went.

Jess slid the shirt off of Sam's back and bent down to bite at the soft skin between his neck and shoulder. He let out a moan and clawed his fingers into her side.

"See, baby? It's not hard, is it? I know you want it; I know you want to be happy. I can make you happy…" and she pushed Sam gently. He slid backwards til he was lying horizontally on the couch and she shifted position. "That's a good boy, Sammy" and she went for his belt buckle.

Suddenly the doors flew open.

"Freeze, bitch!" Dean ran in through the doors and skidded to a halt as he saw the demon on top of Sam. "Leave him ALONE!" and he ran towards her.

The Jess-demon flew off of Sam with a cry.

"Go away! AWAY!" she screamed, as she changed into her true form - a wizened old hag, hair in tatters and face wrinkled and scarred.

"I'm afraid I can't do that…" and Dean started walking towards her.

Suddenly, she started laughing "You don't get it, do you? You don't know why I want little Sammy here" she glanced at where Sam was still lying, eyes fluttering, trying to open.

Dean looked confused for a second.

The hag saw her chance and started talking "Little Sammy here, he's got some good powers going on… the mix of human and other is strong in him, and the perfect base for us to breed from. We're going to create a new race, and Sammy will be our Founding Father!" she laughed, a rough, metallic sound.

Dean suddenly thought "Those possessions – they were you!" he said, barely contained anger in his voice.

"Of course! Had to get the attention of you boys… knew you were coming, gave me time to prepare" she laughed again.

Dean looked behind her and caught the gaze of Sam, who had managed to get himself awake and upright. He gave an almost imperceptible nod to his brother, and then turned his attention back to the Succubus.

"See, that's all good and well, but I'm not going to let you have Sammy. Sorry" and he walked backwards to the edge of the room and started chanting:

i" Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica…/i

The old woman screamed and tried to lunge at Dean. However, Sam had been waiting for her to move and at that he flung his arms around her and tackled her to the ground. She let out an ear-splitting scream, which all but drowned out Dean's rather hastily-recited latin.

i Ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te per Deum + vivum, per Deum + verum, per Deum + sanctum, per Deum qui sic dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret, ut omnes qui credit in eum non pereat, sed habeat vitam æternam /i

Sam struggled with the demon, using his weight and gravity to keep her down. She writhed under her and it took all his strength to keep her there, to keep her from throwing him off and escaping.

iAb insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine.  
Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos.  
Ut inimicos sanctæ Ecclesiæ humiliare digneris, te rogamus audi nos.

Et aspergatur locus aqua benedicta/i

Finally, Dean reached the end of the exorcism, and the hag stopped struggling and started screaming, a high, keening sound. He ran over to where they were and pulled Sam off of her, as she let out a final cry. Pushing Sam to safety, Dean stood between the two and looked on in horror as the demon burned up, screaming all the time, as the flames licked up her. With a final burst, the fire consumed her, and she vanished.

For a split second, there was nothing. Dean blinked and, as he did so, remembered where he was.

"Sammy!" he shouted, running over to where his brother was lying on the ground, unconscious. "Sammy, wake up… you gotta wake up, Sam… come on… wake up…"

…

Dean woke with a gasp and sat bolt upright. Realizing he was back in the motel he quickly turned to Sam who was still asleep next to him.

"Goddamn it Sam, come back!" he muttered as he shook his brother. Getting no response he jumped off the bed and ran to the kitchen, filled a pan with water and came back to the bed. With a muttered apology, Dean threw the water over Sam's head.

"DEAN!" Sam woke with a shout, water flying everywhere. "What the…?" he looked around in panic, then saw Dean. "Dean! Oh my god, what happened? What… where…"

"Hey Sammy, it's ok… we did it!" Dean said, a grin spreading across his face as he sat down next to Sam. "Ugh, wet patch!" he laughed as the water started seeping through his jeans.

"Did… did we really do it?" Sam asked, cautiously.

"Yup. Busted that demon right outta town" and Dean mimed shooting it with his fingers.

Sam let out a sigh of relief and collapsed back against the headboard.

"Hey, don't pass out on this bed – it's soaking. Come over to the other one" and Dean looped an arm around his shoulders and helped him over, setting him carefully down on the dry mattress, letting Sam fall down onto the bed.

Within seconds, Sam was asleep.

…

After a call to Missouri to tell her the good news, Dean pulled up a chair and sat watching over Sam all night. With no signs that the sleep he was in was anything other than the regular kind, Dean let out a sigh of relief.

When the first rays of sun started coming over the horizon, Sam stirred and opened his eyes slowly.

"Damn sun always gets me" he muttered as he saw Dean looking at him.

"You ok?" Dean asked, moving from the chair to the foot of the bed.

Sam nodded. "Could kill for a soda though"

His brother smiled and went to the fridge, coming back with two cans. Popping them both open he handed one to Sam, keeping the other for himself. Sitting back down beside Sam, Dean grinned

"So, Succubus wanted to breed a whole new race of hybrids from you… Dude, you were nearly a Daddy!" Dean ducked just in time to avoid Sam's hand as he tried to slap him.

"Do you think it's really gone?" Sam asked, cautiously. Dean nodded.

"Busted that bitch's ass back down to Hell" and he took a long swig from the can.

Sam looked up "Hey – thanks again"

"Don't mention it. You're my brother – no-one gets to beat you up except me!" he grinned.

"In your dreams" and Sam punched him on the shoulder.

"Ow! I'm gonna call you in for fratricide." Dean grumbled as he rubbed his arm where he'd been hit. Sam just laughed.

"So, what now?" the younger Winchester asked.

"Well, I was gonna suggest hanging around for another day, get your strength up, then high-tailing it on outta here and go find ourselves some spooks to bust… You in?

Sam smiled and looked up at his brother.

"I'm in."

…


End file.
